On Wednesday morning, however, one of the ODOT vehicles caught
fire on Interstate 205 at Oregon 213, closing the freeway for nearly an hour.

An ODOT worker escaped the blaze without injury.

It's unknown what caused the vehicle, part of what
was called the Comet fleet until recently, to erupt in flames on the right side
of the freeway at about 6:35 a.m.

The blaze brought Interstate 205 in Clackamas
County to a standstill in the heart of Clackamas County's morning commute,
closing the I-205's southbound lanes for nearly an hour.

ODOT said northbound traffic was also reduced to a
crawl as commuters braked to check out the raging fire.

The effects of the fire caused problems on other
roads. Drivers looking for an alternative route clogged 82nd Avenue
and Oregon 99E. Meanwhile, with a response truck out of commission, a stalled
vehicle blocked a lane at the crucial I-84 westbound junction to I-5 for more
than hour, jamming up I-84 traffic to 122nd Avenue.